Cherry Compote for the Boss

I learned early on in woodworking that if you make whatever project your wife requests, its easier to get her on board for shop time and tool purchases. The latest request came from a home decor website. I actually made the whole thing and posted a quick photo to Facebook before I found out that it is called a Compote, not a bowl-platter-pedestal thingy. It is about 16” across on the bowl part and about 8” tall. It is made from Cherry and finished with Watco butcher block oil. The bowl is segmented and the pedestal is solid.

I have turned 5 or 10 segmented bowls, but this was definitely the most difficult turning project I’ve done. It would have been easy if she wanted a mini version, but at just under 16” across at the top, it was tricky to turn on my 12” Jet 1236 lathe. Although it was much more difficult than usual, it is always fun to come up with creative ways to get the job done.